Vince McMahon No Longer Under DOJ Investigation, Lawyers Say

Vince McMahon is no longer under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to his legal team.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had been probing McMahon over allegations that he attempted to conceal sexual misconduct claims through undisclosed payments to former female employees. The investigation stemmed from a lawsuit filed in January 2024 by Janel Grant against McMahon, former WWE executive John Laurinaitis, and WWE itself. Grant accused McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking during her time with the company. In June 2024, the case was put on hold at the DOJ’s request to allow a criminal investigation to proceed but resumed in December following a six-month pause.

On Monday, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that McMahon’s legal team improperly withheld 208 pages of documents related to the case, rejecting their assertion of attorney-client privilege. Unless McMahon’s lawyers appeal to the Supreme Court, they will be required to submit the documents to a grand jury.

However, McMahon’s lawyer, Robert W. Allen, told the New York Post that the court’s decision is inconsequential, as the investigation has already concluded without charges.

“This is simply the result of an appeal of a procedural matter that was argued five months ago,” Allen stated. “We have been in consistent communication with the government since that time and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitively concluded and will not result in charges.”

McMahon recently settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over his failure to disclose hush money payments to WWE, which led the company to revise its financial statements in August 2022. Under the settlement terms, he agreed to pay a $400,000 civil penalty and reimburse WWE $1.33 million after being found in violation of the Securities Exchange Act.

While McMahon’s legal team asserts that he is no longer facing criminal prosecution, he remains embroiled in civil litigation. Grant’s lawyers recently filed an amended complaint, introducing new allegations and evidence against the former WWE chairman.